As is known in the art, the ability to uniquely identify items, devices, and services (collectively called objects) is desirable in many applications including but not limited to security access control, supply chain management and communications. One embodiment of a system which may be used as part of an application presented above is described in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/379,187 filed on Aug. 20, 1999 which claims the benefit of application No. 60/097,254 filed Aug. 20, 1998.
The inability to uniquely identify every object of interest renders many of these applications less effective than is generally desired. One component required for unique identification is the association of a unique identifier with the object. The identifier may take many forms, such as a given name or number (e.g., a social security number) or a characteristic of the object (e.g. a fingerprint). Once objects are uniquely identified, it would be desirable to locate data about the object or service using the unique identifier.